CMU-Q Hackathon goes regional for 2017

November 29, 2016

University students from across GCC are invited to take part in 24-hour programming competition

DOHA, QATAR: Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) will host the fifth annual 24-hour hackathon on January 27 to 28, 2017 at the university’s campus in Education City. The CarnegieApps Hackathon is an annual programming competition in which university students work in teams in a 24-hour race to build mobile applications, web applications or games. This year’s event is open to undergraduate students from all majors from universities throughout the GCC.

Hackathon is organized by CarnegieApps, a student-led club at Carnegie Mellon Qatar. “We’re excited to continue the great tradition of Hackathon here at CMU-Q, and we’re excited to host students from Qatar and across the region. Hackathon is a great opportunity for students to put the skills they are learning to the test, and to meet and share ideas with like-minded ‘hackers,’” said Vishan Popat, a business administration student at CMU-Q and the president of CarnegieApps.

The competition features five categories, including a new one sponsored by Education Above All’s program, Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict (PEIC). In the new category, young developers are challenged to think creatively about how technology can be used to protect children in schools in conflict zones around the world. Education Above All is an organization established by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser that aims to provide quality and sustainable education to the poorest and most marginalized of school children.

As with previous years, a panel of professionals will judge the competitors in the categories of best technical idea, best overall app, best design, and best rookie project.

CarnegieApps Hackathon is part of Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s contribution to the computer science industry in Qatar and the region, an effort that promotes an interdisciplinary approach to developing innovative technological applications.

For more information about the CarnegieApps Hackathon and to register for the competition, please visit www.carnegieapps.com or follow #CMUQHacks.